The Rise of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze

by MercenaryGrax

How would things be if Naruto knew who his parents were from a young age? A mysterious man who has watched Naruto his entire life soon takes an interest in Naruto and is placed as the assistant Jonin instructor to Naruto and his team. Who is this man and what relation does he have to Naruto? How will things be different with him training the young ninja? NaruxHarem & OCxHarem.

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Political Dealings & the Enactment of the CRA

As Haku tried to formulate some kind of plan, Naruto found himself chuckling softly to himself. With a snap of his fingers, the clones all ceased their attacks and poofed into smoke, leaving a rather stunned audience and a bewildered Haku. Naruto shot a glance towards Sean and smirked. "You already saw it…didn't you sensei?"

At this, everyone looked to Sean for some answers before they heard Haku cry out in pain and collapse to the floor. Looking towards the girl, Hayate rushed over and checked her. "S-She's unconscious. Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!" Once more everyone was shocked and looked to both Sean and Naruto for answers.

Sean and Naruto looked around themselves and both began to laugh at the various expressions everyone had on. "Well Naruto-kun, you've certainly attracted some attention to the both of us, haven't you?" Naruto smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "So? You love the attention, don't you Sean-sensei?" Sean's left eyebrow quirked up at that and he shook his head. "While I may enjoy a bit of showing off on occasion, I don't exactly enjoy having everyone's eyes on me in situations such as this. Buuut…I assume you'd like me to help you explain what happened?" When Naruto nodded, Sean sighed and hopped down to join him.

Looking around, the duo noticed all eyes on them, but the looks of some of the girls had both men sweating nervously. Leaning closer to his sensei and best friend, Naruto whispered quietly. "Sean-sensei…I think Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan are going to kill me. Fu-chan…I can't understand that look on her face…" Sean nodded and glanced towards a couple of girls looking down at him. "I understand Naruto-kun. I think Anko-chan and Ino-chan are still furious with me. I still don't even know what it is that I did!"

As the two conversed amongst each other, the Sandaime began to sweat drop at their antics as he stood up and stepped over to the railing. "Sean-kun, Naruto-kun." When they looked his way, the Hokage smiled softly at the both of them. "If you could please focus, we would greatly appreciate it if you would tell us how Naruto-kun did what he did. You've been teaching him things on the side…haven't you Sean-kun?"

Sean and Naruto looked into each other's eyes and the both of them rubbed the backs of their heads a little nervously. Their behavior had more than a few people giving them awkward stares and thinking about how similar they both acted. Ino turned to Anko and poked her in the shoulder. "Are those two related? I didn't notice it before, but they act pretty similar." Anko looked from Ino to the duo on the arena floor and shook her head. "I wouldn't know. As you know, Sean doesn't know his clan name, nor does he have any memory of his family or who they may be. We don't know much about Naruto either now that I think about it. We know his last name is Uzumaki, we've seen some of his abilities, you know I've helped teach him, we know that he and Seanie are really close, but there's so much that's a mystery about the both of them. The old man might know more."

With a shrug, the Snake Mistress looked over at the Hokage and frowned. "Sandaime-sama is pretty close with the both of them. If anyone were to know something, I'm sure he would. But then again, Jima-san over there knows more about Sean than anybody. I think we'll have to try and pry what we can from her later." Anko smirked devilishly and nodded to Ino. "I think between the two of us…we could get Seanie's cousin to talk." Ino nodded and quickly agreed with her before the two of them looked to the arena floor again as Sean and Naruto began to speak.

Sean sighed and nodded. "Sorry Hokage-sama. We'll get on with it." Looking around again, Sean nodded and smiled at everybody as Haku was carried off by the medics. Glancing back at her, Sean smirked. "You did good Haku, but you just weren't ready for it. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just needs some rest and a little bit of medical attention." Nodding his head, Sean turned back to the Hokage and smirked. "You saw it as well Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, but that particular wind jutsu is something I've only ever seen you use before Sean-kun. Without abilities like yours, something like what Naruto-kun just pulled off should be impossible. So please, tell me what the two of you have been working on."

At this, Sean frowned a bit and looked to Naruto. "Well…we're going to be increasing your training regimen anyways for the finals, so I don't really see a problem with telling them. What do you think Naruto-kun?" Naruto shrugged and smiled at his best friend. "I'm going to be much stronger by then, so I don't see why not. Let's tell 'em and see what happens Sean-sensei."

Chuckling softly to himself, Sean turned to stare deep into the Hokage's eyes. "Very well. Years ago I tested Naruto's elemental affinity and found him to have a strong affinity for wind. Therefore, seeing as how the two of us were already close and I had vowed to watch over him…I began to train him. However, only recently did I feel that Naruto-kun was ready to begin learning a few of my more…'unique' abilities. As time goes by, Naruto-kun becomes more and more powerful. I've had him training in some unique chakra control exercises to prepare him for some of these abilities of mine that, as you said, should be impossible for others beside myself. Even you and Jiraiya-sama haven't been able to replicate these techniques…correct?"

The Hokage nodded and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "That is true. I wouldn't be surprised if 'he' has tried and failed as well. It would explain why you have caught his eye. But enough of that. Please, go on Sean-kun." The Sandaime insisted as he waved his hand for Sean to continue. At the same time, Orochimaru, still in his disguise, leaned forward slightly as he listened intently to what was being said.

Sean smirked a bit and nodded. "Naruto-kun and I found a way for him to learn these techniques. It wasn't easy, but with a lot of time and patience, we found a way for him to learn my techniques without killing him. Of course…it required a little something, err…'special'." At this, the duo on the arena floor began to chuckle nervously and the Hokage began to feel a little nervous. Oh please don't tell me…

Naruto grinned and nodded. "From the look on your face, I can say you probably already guessed it Jiji. Yeaaah, we kinda asked a certain somebody for some assistance. Man that sucked." Inside the young Uzumaki's head, the fox was snarling at him. "Do you think I enjoy working with you anymore than you do me Gaki?! If it wasn't for the fact I was trapped in here, I'd tear you apart!" Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I hear ya Fur ball. We talked about this already damn it. You're trapped in me, you don't want me to die because if I do, you're shit out of luck, we need to work together, blah blah blah. Remember?!"

Inside Naruto's head, the Kyuubi nodded his head and groaned. "Doesn't mean I have to like it Gaki. I'd have never even taken the time to talk to you if it wasn't for that enigma standing next to you! He made some good points and his idea actually seemed smart. Anyways, you should pay attention Gaki. We can talk later." Naruto slowly nodded his head and cut the mental link with the fox so he could listen to what was being said.

"…Yes Hokage-sama. We've been careful with his training and so far, I haven't noticed anything particularly bad happening. We practically wiped one of the training grounds off the map, but other than that, nobody's been hurt and there's been absolutely nothing to worry about. Sorry about Training Ground #13 again by the way. That was really kind of my bad there, huh? I flung a few attacks at Naruto-kun to see if…" Sean stopped when the Hokage held up his hand and sighed exasperatedly.

"Sean-kun, enough. We already talked about that, remember? What does matter is that you and Naruto-kun have been safe and I understand now how he knows what he does. Now, for the sake of everyone here, can you explain the attack at the end? A lot of shinobi here are still hanging in the dark." Hiruzen pleaded, eager to get this over with.

The Wind God nodded his head and smiled sheepishly. "Certainly Hokage-sama." Glancing around, Sean focused his eyes on Temari for a moment and he smirked. "Temari-san…you should hope you don't have to face my dear student in the finals. Your Futon techniques may be powerful, but he would crush you. I guarantee it." At this, Temari blinked a few times before glancing at Naruto and scowling.

Chuckling at this, the Wind God turned his gaze to the rest of the audience and he grinned broadly. "Allow me to demonstrate first. It will make explaining a tad easier." Raising one of his hands, Sean focused his chakra into the palm of his hand and soon the wind began to pick up in the room. In an instant, a ball of condensed wind formed in his hand without Sean ever announcing the name of a technique or forming any hand seals.

In another instant, the ball suddenly vanished. People were confused until Anko's trench coat was suddenly torn to shreds, revealing her breasts to everyone in the room as they were only barely covered by her mesh armor. Kakashi got one hell of a nosebleed, as did numerous other guys in the room, while Sean simply smiled at her and apologized. "Sorry, but I figured it was the easiest way to demonstrate without actually hurting anybody."

Anko, quickly covering her chest with her arms, leaped down and thwacked him over the head with her fist. "You jerk!" Leaning in close, she brushed her lips against his ear and smirked. "If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask." At the deep blush forming on Sean's face, Anko decided to play a bit more and pressed her breasts against his arm, clinging to him so he couldn't leave. "You know I can't possibly resist you my sexy Seanie-kun."

Finally, as Sean fainted in Anko's arms and collapsed to the floor, Naruto sighed and shook his head before looking her way. "Anko-sensei." She looked at him and he quickly tapped a seal on his arm and pulled a coat out for her. "Here. And…be a little more careful with Sean-sensei. He's absolutely clueless when it comes to women. So, uhh…take it slow with him, okay?" Anko slowly nodded and slipped the jacket on to cover herself a bit better. "T-Thanks Gaki. So, mind finishing the story and explaining what the hell happened?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head slowly. "Yeah." Looking up at the Hokage and then around at everyone else, the young Uzumaki smiled and bowed his head. "As mentioned before, the technique is something that only Sean-sensei should be capable of as it requires an insane amount of control over the air particles. It doesn't require as much chakra as you might think though." Seeing the confusion in everyone's eyes, Naruto sighed and ruffled his hair a bit. "It's hard for me to explain. I get the theory behind it and I can actually do it, but when it comes to explaining something like this, Sean-sensei's so much better at it."

Anko frowned at this and gently stroked Sean's hair as she laid his head in her lap. "Sorry Gaki. Didn't mean to make your sensei faint like that." Naruto shrugged and shook his head. "It's fine. Basically, what the jutsu does is this:" Holding up his finger, Naruto focused a bit of his chakra and a small razor made from wind appeared balancing on his fingertip. "Sean-sensei was just showing off. You don't even have to create a ball of wind. You can just create small little wind blades like this and send them scattering throughout the room. What he did was focus all of the miniature wind blades on your trench coat Anko-sensei and gave them a simple order: shred it. What I did…" Sighing, Naruto glanced back in the direction where Haku had fallen at the end of the battle.

"All of my big attacks at the end were just a big feint. I would never seriously hurt Haku-chan, but I needed to make her focus on something other than me for a time. When I gave her that hickey, I actually marked her for my attack while simultaneously attaching a string of wind to her waist with my fingertips. When I cancelled the attacks and ordered my Shadow Clones to disappear, I used the smokescreen created by their disappearance to my advantage and focused the wind around me into a bunch of tiny air blades. They proceeded to strike certain points in and on Haku's body in order to cause her enough pain that she'd fall unconscious and lose the match. The string and the hickey were their points of entry. It's actually as simple as that. Make sense now?"

Everyone slowly nodded and looked towards the unconscious Wind God. "So…you learned this from that guy there?" Naruto nodded slowly. "Think he'd be willing to teach me stuff like that?" Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm only able to use these techniques due to special circumstances that I'm not allowed to discuss. It would be impossible to teach anyone else these kinds of techniques." The young blonde looked towards Sasuke and sighed. "Besides, aren't you enjoying Zabuza's 'treatment' Teme? Aside from that, in case you forgot…" Narrowing his eyes, Naruto smirked at the Uchiha. "Sean-sensei doesn't even like you Teme. If he ever decided to show you the technique personally…it would be to rend you limb from limb, I guarantee it."

Sasuke snarled at this and closed his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Probably doesn't even know anything truly useful to me anyways." Naruto sighed and was about to speak when somebody beat him to it. "Are you kidding me?! I'd kill to learn under Seanie!" Virtually everyone turned their attention to Temari while Anko and Ino practically growled at her. The wind user walked over to Sasuke and smirked. "You just can't admit that you suck, can you boy?"

Sasuke looked about ready to snap and throw a punch, but Sean started to wake up at this point. "Oh shut it, please. Don't antagonize the Uchiha boy. He's only going to pull the 'I'm an elite Uchiha' crap and piss me off again." The Wind God stated as he sat up slowly. "There's a reason I kicked your ass in the Land of Waves Sasuke-teme. I had hoped that by letting Zabuza tend to you that he would smack some damn manners and respect into your ass, but that fucking curse mark, Orochimaru, and that petty jealousy of yours have completely fucked that plan over. Haven't they Sas-Gay?"

At this point, Sasuke was fuming as he leaped over the railing and hit the arena floor. Sean smirked at the Uchiha and tapped his foot on the floor. "What? Did I strike a nerve Boy? Just because you're the last Uchiha in Konoha doesn't mean you're anything special. Did you ever stop to think that a lot of people only treat you like a freaking prince because they want you to be happy here? If the Council knew they could get away with it, they'd force the CRA (Clan Restoration Act) on you and force you to take wives when you're so obviously gay."

Sasuke snapped at hearing this and threw a punch at Sean which only resulted in his hand being shredded by an invisible wall of wind. The Uchiha let out a harsh scream and collapsed to the ground as he tried to stop the blood from escaping his new wound. "That was your doing you arrogant little punk. I don't care about your sexuality, nor does anyone else here. If you like girls, you don't show it because you're too obsessed with that revenge of yours. 'Oh, I'm a mighty Avenger. I'll kill my brother Itachi.' Y'know what Sasuke? Who the hell gives a fuck?! Certainly not anyone here! Certainly not the Council! You're just a pathetic excuse for a person Sasuke. From what I've heard and seen, you don't even deserve to be a shinobi. The shit you've pulled…"

Sean stopped suddenly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around, he saw many scared looks and more concerned looks all directed at he and Sasuke. Glancing down, he saw Sasuke writhing on the ground with one hand missing. Reaching up, the Wind God placed a hand to his face and shook his head. "What…the hell just happened to me?" Groaning, he closed his eyelids and shook his head a couple more times. "Damn it…first that incident on the streets…now I see an Uchiha and take it out on Sasuke…" A sudden look of horror appeared on Sean's face as he turned paler and paler. "The Council's going to tear me a new one for this…"

Medics were currently rushing Sasuke off at this point and he watched as they rushed off with a screaming Uchiha glaring harshly at him. Before he disappeared through a pair of doors, Sasuke issued a clear, verbal threat to him. "The Council will have your head for this! How dare you attack me again?!" At that, the Wind God chuckled softly and shook his head. "I have to say I expected that. Even when in that condition his ego knows no bounds. If he has his way…" Sighing, Sean shook his head and sat down on the floor. He was too shaky to remain standing any longer.

The Hokage and Sean's friends made their way down to the arena floor to speak with him. As Hiruzen walked over, they all watched as Jima pushed her way through and held her cousin tight. "Sean-kun, it's alright. I promise. Just talk to me. What did you see this time? What happened?" The blue-haired man shook his head and closed his eyes. "I…think it was Sasuke's dad. I'm not entirely sure, but it was definitely an Uchiha. Sharingan blazing…fire jutsu blazing towards me…I don't know what the hell happened, but an Uchiha definitely targeted me when I was younger. Did you have that erased from my memory too Hokage-sama?" Sean spit out angrily as he glared harshly at the old man.

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "I still don't know why he targeted you back then. But you were so shaken up after the attack…you were far too young Sean-kun. The nightmares you kept having after that…" The Sandaime shook his head and sighed again. "I apologize Sean-kun. It seems obvious to me that Fugaku Uchiha learned something about you that he felt threatened by. Why else would he have attacked you that way? The same thing happened to him that happened to the others. Whatever took place back then…you nearly killed him. And now…you've harmed his son. You heard the threat Sasuke made against you Sean-kun. I'm afraid that soon we're going to have to deal with the Council yet again."

Jima did not look pleased at this. Turning, she shoved a finger hard into the Sarutobi's chest and narrowed her eyes. "You saw it plain as day! Sean never even lifted a hand to that little punk! Sasuke was the only one to throw a punch and Sean-kun's wind acted as a simple barrier, much like Gaara's sand does! I don't care if I'm a member of this precious Council of yours, but I'm going to be there. I'm going to make damn sure that you say what needs to be said. You will NOT let those bastards do anything more to my cousin than what's already been done! Is that understood Sarutobi?!"

When Hayate went to speak, Jima turned her glare on him. "Don't even dare Gekko! 'Show the proper respect to Hokage-sama. Blah blah blah.' I'll show people respect when they've EARNED that respect! The Hokage might earn it if he does the right thing at this upcoming Council meeting. If he even dares to let those bastards walk all over him again, I'm stepping in!" Hayate Gekko nodded nervously, coughed a couple of times, and stepped back. In fact, mostly everyone stepped away from the angry woman.

The Hokage sighed deeply and nodded his head as he rubbed his bruising chest. "Yes, I think it might be for the best if both you and Sean are there with me. For now though, Hayate and I need to finish things up here." Looking to Hayate and then to Hinata, the Hokage nodded and then commanded everyone back to where they were.

Moments later, Hayate stood staring at Hinata and smiled softly. "Hinata, as you are essentially the 'odd one out', you will not be fighting in the preliminaries. Instead, you will be moving straight on to the finals. Congratulations." Hinata frowned at this, but nodded her head regardless to signify that she understood. "Now, will all the winners that are able please come to the floor?"

Within a matter of minutes, all the winners that weren't currently resting in the hospital were on the floor, side-by-side as they stared into Hayate's eyes as they waited for him to speak. As they did, they all noticed as a few items were brought to the floor and watched them curiously. "All of you will draw numbers from this box. After all the numbers have been drawn, I will explain the rest."

A short time later, everyone stood before him, each clutching a small slip of paper with a number on it in their hands. Making sure each of them had a number, he asked them to begin listing off their numbers. Shino was the first to step forward. "Four."

Then it was Kankuro. "Two."

Ino spoke up next. "Eleven."

Temari. "Five."

Shikamaru yawned and announced his. "Twelve."

Kiba smirked and announced his. "Three."

Fu was grinning as she announced her number. "Ten."

Gaara stared blankly ahead and nodded. "Nine."

Dosu stepped forward next and glanced around at the others. "Six."

Naruto stepped forward then and nodded. "Eight."

Hinata looked towards Naruto and smiled briefly before remembering what he did earlier and then turned her attention forward. "One."

Hayate nodded and looked to his assistant jotting down the names on a board. "That means Sasuke Uchiha has the number seven. Okay…" Coughing for a moment, Hayate Gekko turned back to the Genin and smiled softly as his assistant turned the board around. "Look at the board carefully. These will be your matches in the finals. Observe the names and matches listed carefully and prepare yourselves accordingly, for in one month's time the finals will begin. You have until then to train yourselves and prepare for everything." Everyone looked at the board and Naruto found himself grinning.

'Match 1 – Hinata Hyuga vs. Kankuro

Match 2 – Kiba Inuzuka vs. Shino Aburame

Match 3 – Temari vs. Dosu Kinuta

Match 4 – Sasuke Uchiha vs. Naruto Uzumaki

Match 5 – Gaara vs. Fu

Match 6 – Ino Yamanaka vs. Shikamaru Nara'

After everyone had memorized their opponents and examined who they might very well end up facing if they won their first matches, they nodded their heads and looked to Hayate. "Good. As I said, take this time to better yourselves and prepare for your matches. Find a training partner, look to your sensei for help, it doesn't matter. Now, Hokage-sama would like to speak a few words."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he came forward and nodded at each of them. "Congratulations on making your way into the finals. I know it hasn't been an easy task and you have all been through a great deal. I want you to keep in mind that in the finals you will not only be fighting to represent yourselves, but your villages and homeland as well. Go out there, train, and make your villages proud when you battle in the finals. Hold nothing back. Now go on and get going. You are all dismissed!"

With a series of "Yes Hokage-sama!" and lots of bowing, most of the people cleared out of the area. Before Naruto could escape however, Hinata and Sakura slammed the poor blonde-haired boy into a wall right as he was about to escape the tower. "And just where do you think you're going Naruto?!" Sakura screamed at him, her fist plowing into his face.

Hinata nodded, a look of absolute fury on her face. "You…you…augh! How could you do that to me?! Doesn't our relationship mean ANYTHING to you Naruto-kun?!" The Hyuga girl screamed out at him as Naruto was trying to free himself from Sakura's grip. "You KISSED her! You…you gave her a hickey! You touched her in…in those ways! Do you like her?!"

Naruto sighed and lowered his head, knowing full well that this was already coming. In fact, this is why he was trying to escape the tower so quickly in the first place! "I'm sorry. I truly am. I'll be honest with you okay?" Both girls nodded their heads, but neither was willing to release him just yet. "I admit that I find Haku incredibly attractive and…kind of sexy…" At this, the glares intensified and he began to sweat more and more. "Just listen damn it! Please?" The girls sighed and nodded, still refusing to let him go. "Thank you."

Placing his hands gently upon Sakura's clenched fist, Naruto sent a pulse of chakra through her arm and smirked slightly as her grip faltered and she was forced to release him. Nodding in satisfaction, the blonde brushed himself off and cracked his somewhat stiffened neck. "I know how Haku-chan feels about me. It was a battle and I was going to use everything I could to my advantage, even her feelings for me. I…" At this, Hinata got pissed and jabbed forward, striking a point in his neck that caused the blonde to collapse to the floor in a heap.

"You were toying with her feelings?! That's even worse Naruto-kun!" She reprimanded him and Naruto simply groaned, wishing that he could just move his body! "You never, ever play with a girl's feelings like that! I thought you were taught better than that?!" Sakura nodded and kicked her blonde crush hard in the stomach, causing him to cough and groan in even more pain than before. "Yeah Naruto-kun! You don't ever toy with our feelings that way! It's rude, it's inhumane, and it's downright evil! What the hell do you have to say for yourself?!"

Naruto's right eyebrow was twitching angrily as he stared at their feet, unable to even rotate his head to look up at them. "What the hell?! First you get mad at me for flirting with her, now you get pissed at me for using her feelings for me to gain an advantage in the fight?! She did the exact same thing to me! How am I supposed to feel about that, huh?!"

Hinata and Sakura wouldn't hear reason though and were about to rant even more when his body suddenly vanished. When the two of them felt a gust of wind, they immediately assumed it was Sean and snarled. "Sean-sensei! You're gonna pay!"

Fu

Fu watched as the two girls rushed off to hunt down Sean while she looked down at Naruto. "Are you okay? I didn't think they'd act quite like that. I guess we should probably hide you until they calm down, huh Naru-kun?" Naruto chuckled softly and nodded slowly. "T-Thanks Fu-chan. But did you really have to use one of Sean-sensei's tricks? You set him up pretty bad."

Fu sighed and shook her head. "If they knew it was me, they'd probably try to kill me Naru-kun just to get to you. With how angry they are, the chances of them castrating you right now are pretty high. Just give it a little time and let them cool their heads. Haku and I will try to help you out when the time comes. Okay?" When Naruto nodded again, the mint green-haired girl smiled at her crush. "Good. Now, I'd take you to the hospital to get you fixed up, but from what you've told me about this place, I doubt they'd actually help. Sooo…any idea where I should take you?"

Naruto frowned and glanced off in the direction he knew the Hokage Tower to be. "Yeah. Jiji, err…Hokage-sama…he can get me some help and he might even be able to help me out with my girlfriend. I really don't know what the heck to do. I care about all four of you: you, Haku-chan, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan. Very much. I'm with Hinata-chan, we're a couple…and yet I hate that you, Haku-chan, and Sakura-chan are lonely. Part of me did enjoy the, erm…'playfulness' with Haku-chan, but another part feels really, really bad about it. I know I shouldn't have done any of that…and I really need to apologize to Hinata-chan…but she just wouldn't listen to me. So…what the heck do I do?"

Fu frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. In case you haven't noticed, I'm actually just fine being near you right now. If something were to happen at a later date between the two of us, I'd be all for it. But you know what? I'm also happy for you and Hinata-san. Didn't think she'd fly off the handle with Sakura though. That's kind of crazy. So I guess talking with your Jiji is our best bet right now. Let's go pay him a visit." With a nod from Naruto, Fu used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to quickly exit the Forest of Death as she made her way towards the Hokage Tower to speak with the Hokage.

Hokage Tower – Hiruzen, Sean, & Jima – Same Time

"I assume a time has been set for the Council Meeting already?" Sean asked somewhat nervously. The Hokage nodded slowly and frowned. "Yes. The meeting will take place tonight at 6:00. That gives you about three hours to prepare yourselves and generally just relax. I promise you that I'll do whatever I can to help, but if things go bad we need to pull out some kind of trump card to show them why Sean-kun can't just be exiled or killed for what Sasuke did."

Jima nodded and looked to Sean for a moment. Frowning slightly, she looked back at the Hokage and shook her head. "I…hope it doesn't come to that Hokage-sama. A lot of them may refuse to believe what I'll have to tell them. To tell Sean-kun." Sean frowned at this, knowing full well that she was still hiding his clan name, his true home, practically everything from him for a reason unknown to him.

When the Hokage frowned at this, he pulled out his pipe and began to light it. What Jima said next however caused him to nearly fumble and drop his pipe. "We need you to gather all the files on the Uzumaki clan that you have. Any information on Uzushiogakure would be welcome as well." When Hiruzen went to question her, the woman shook her head. "Hokage-sama, please don't question me on this. If it comes down to it, we'll simply have to give this Council of yours a little history lesson. Beyond that…" Sighing again, Jima lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Just please…trust me Hokage-sama. If the idiots refuse to listen to reason, this is going to be our best bet I think. Sean-kun…when we go in, we're going to have to try our very best to remain calm and placate them to the best of our ability. Even if it means sucking up to the bastards a little."

Sean nodded slightly and sighed, not liking all the secrets being kept from him. However, he nodded reluctantly and simply watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi sent off a couple of ANBU to retrieve everything that was asked for by Jima. He was about to simply close his eyes and relax when the door burst open and Fu came in with Naruto in her arms. Quirking one of his eyebrows, the young Jonin glanced back to the Hokage to see what he would do.

"Hokage-sama, there's a slight…'problem' that we need to discuss." The Hokage sighed as Fu laid Naruto upon the couch in his office and stared hard at him. Rising from his chair, the elderly man walked over and knelt down, gently checking his surrogate grandson for any injuries. Frowning, he glanced at Fu. "Let me guess…Hinata-san and Sakura got a hold of him?" When Fu nodded, the Hokage shook his head and groaned. "That's about what I expected. I also expect that something else may happen in tonight's meeting of the Council that may actually provide a kind of…resolution to this particular problem."

When everyone looked at him somewhat bewildered, the Hokage shook his head and sighed heavily once more. "After the Hyoton (Ice Release) abilities that Haku demonstrated earlier…I wouldn't be surprised if someone brings that up in tonight's Council meeting." Naruto looked confused at this and shook his head. "I…don't understand Jiji. What does Haku have to do with my current situation?"

Looking down into Naruto's eyes, Hiruzen frowned and rose from his kneeling position to return to his comfortable chair behind his desk. "If what I expect to happen actually does happen…I'm going to have to act fast. Therefore, I'm going to need your permission for something Naruto-kun. You see…"

Three Hours Later – Council Chambers

As everyone filed into the room and took their seats, both sides began to discuss amongst themselves about why this meeting was called and what was going to happen. After some time, three figures walked into the room. The first was the most important figure in Konohagakure: Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. The other two figures were Sean and his cousin Jima. The former immediately received some hateful glares from many members of the Civilian Council and some sympathetic stares from some members of the Shinobi Council. Danzo, Homura, and Koharu were among the members glaring at him for the obvious reason of hurting Sasuke.

As soon as the Hokage took his seat, Sean and Jima took their place in the middle of the room. Sean was taking deep, calming breaths as he tried to keep from panicking. He loved being a shinobi very much and didn't want to be exiled or even killed for one huge misunderstanding. Jima gently gripped his hand and squeezed it gently as she rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She sent him a look that said everything would be alright and he started to calm down, even if just a tiny bit.

Everyone's attention soon turned to the Hokage as he began to speak. "First, I would like to congratulate those of you whose sons and daughters have made it to the finals of the Chunin Exams. This is an impressive feat and well worth congratulations. I hope to see what they are all capable of in one month's time." At this, many people in the room murmured congratulations to the parents of those whose children made it, while some received the sympathies of others for their children who failed to make it through into the final rounds.

After a few brief moments of this, the Sandaime began to speak again. "As all of you should already know, Sasuke Uchiha is once again the focus of our discussion tonight." Receiving a series of nods in response, Hiruzen Sarutobi once again continued on. "You…may have heard some of the story from Sasuke Uchiha's perspective. How Sean attacked him and removed his hand. But this is only the tale he chooses to tell. Sasuke's ego has once again stepped in the way of the truth."

The Civilian Council members glared at the Hokage and looked about ready to interrupt when he held up a hand. "Let me speak and do not interrupt me!" Focusing his killing intent on the Civilian Council, Danzo, and his ex-teammates, Hiruzen smirked victoriously and continued on after a moment. "As some of you may or may not know, Sean has what I will call 'episodes'. Sean, would you care to explain what these are?"

Sean nodded slowly and closed his eyes, once again breathing deeply. "I…for a matter of years now, once a month…I black out and begin to see things. I see small pieces of my past, pieces that I've lost. Such as the moment my family was murdered, the face of one of their killers, and just today…Fugaku Uchiha's attempt to murder me. I've seen so many things, and not one bit of it makes any sense to me. But I do know this: Sandaime-sama ordered Inoichi-san to wipe my memories at certain points in my life in order to protect my sanity it would seem. And for that…I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm grateful that at least someone was looking out for me. On the other…having my mind tampered with in such a way is infuriating. The mental blocks started going down years ago. I can't remember exactly when this started, but it's slowly been affecting me."

Looking around at everyone, Sean decided it was probably best to give a few examples. "About three months ago…I blacked out and began to see flashes of one of the men that murdered my family. I attacked an entire district of Konoha as I hunted for this man. When I found him…I nearly killed him. This man still resides in the Konoha T & I department as they are still trying to get what information they can out of him. Is this correct Inoichi-san?"

Inoichi slowly nodded and frowned at this. "Whoever hired this man put some strong seals on him to keep him from revealing anything more than some basic knowledge. We're hoping that Jiraiya-sama will return soon to assist us in tearing down the 'wall', so to speak, so that we can properly interrogate him. Until then, the man will sit snugly in the cell we've picked out for him for his actions against you in the past."

Sean nodded calmly at this and smiled softly. "I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't really have much more information than what you've already extracted from him. It might just be one big waste of time Inoichi-san." The blonde-haired Yamanaka nodded at this and looked grim, but still had a smile on his face. Sean chuckled softly and shook his head. "Enough of that though. You're all wondering about today's events…"

Seeing everyone nodding, Sean looked towards Hiruzen and then to his cousin, Jima for support. Jima squeezed his hand again and he nodded slowly. "After an 'event' after Naruto's match in the preliminaries…I fainted. During this time, I saw flashes of Fugaku Uchiha attacking me. I don't know when this particular event happened, but he looked…furious. It was obvious to me that the Uchiha clan head wanted me dead and was doing everything in his power to kill me at that point in time. When I came to, Sasuke Uchiha was shooting off at the mouth again, stroking his big, fat ego."

Jima scooted a step closer and squeezed his hand tighter at this in an attempt to warn him to be careful. Sean sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You people have turned that little teme into something truly awful. An egotistical little punk with no respect for anyone. Sasuke believes himself to be superior to everyone in the village, even Hokage-sama himself. You've stroked his ego so much that he believes he's king of the fucking world! All he truly cares about is revenge. Did you know that?" Looking around at their faces, the Wind God scoffed and shook his head in disgust. "No, of course not. You're more interested in keeping the little punk pleased and happy. He wants power, not worshippers. I bet Hokage-sama hasn't even told half of you yet that Orochimaru attacked him in the Forest of Death during the second part of the exams. Promised the little shit POWER. What the hell are you going to do about THAT, huh?!"

Danzo took this point to step forward and unleash his killing intent upon Sean. Sean gritted his teeth and turned to glare at Danzo as he began to sweat. "Enough boy! We will discuss those circumstances at a later time! Right now is the time to decide what we do about you! So shut up and get to the point before we have you restrained!"

Jima snarled at this and walked forward, putting her hand on Sean's shoulder to help calm him down. When Danzo stepped back again, Sean smirked and nodded his head. "Well, after arguing with the little punk for a bit…can you guess what happened o' mighty Danzo-sama?" Danzo snarled at Sean's mocking behavior, fully prepared to step forward and do something about the disrespectful punk. "Sasuke attacked me. I never even lifted a finger towards him and there are maaany witnesses who can prove it. Unfortunately for your precious Uchiha, my wind barrier was active at the time. So when he threw his punch, my wind barrier shredded his right hand down to absolutely nothing. I came to my senses soon after, and when I looked down I knew I'd be stuck here listening to this crap. Well guess what! Whose fault is it truly that Sasuke is now without his right hand? Answer me that!"

The Shinobi side nodded their heads at the reasoning and looked to the Hokage. "Well, it seems we're in agreement over here at least Hokage-sama. Sean-san is not to blame for the Uchiha's injury. He may have antagonized the Uchiha during that problematic state he was in, but Sasuke chose to attack while Sean had done nothing."

Meanwhile, the Civilian Council side had another argument in mind. "That doesn't matter! It's his fault that Sasuke-kun was brought back from that mission months ago in such a terrible state! In fact, it's that MONSTER that beat Sasuke up to begin with! Who's to say that your precious 'Wind God' wasn't purposely trying to coerce Sasuke-kun into attacking him just for the very purpose of destroying him?! Hokage-sama, we do not agree with the Shinobi Council on this matter. Sean is to blame for Sasuke's current state. It is not a matter of Sasuke's own doing."

At this point, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu all stepped forward and narrowed their eyes as they stared down at Sean. "Your attitude here shows that you have little to no remorse about what you've done to Sasuke-san. While both sides have valid points, it's your behavior that has ultimately swayed our opinion here Sean-san. While Sasuke did attack you, you did antagonize him, regardless of the fact that you were currently in another state of mind at the time. While it is hard to actively place the blame on you for Sasuke-san's actions, you coerced him into attacking you and then hurt him severely. If you had simply shown some remorse for your actions, you may have been forgiven for this. However, based on what we've seen here, the three of us have decided that you ARE to blame for what transpired today. Therefore…"

"Therefore nothing you bastards!" Jima suddenly shouted as she raised her killing intent, bringing Homura and Koharu to their knees while Danzo simply narrowed his visible eye at her. "Hokage-sama, speak up damn it! You've yet to put in your two cents!"

Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head. "That is true. While my vote may not sway anything in Sean's favor, I do have the ultimate say here. And there are certain things that need to be said!" For a time, Hiruzen explained Sean's situation to the Council, including the fact that his past is a complete mystery to not only Sean, but to the Hokage himself. The attacks on his life were also explained in detail, and Sean's state of mind was also discussed for a time.

When Hiruzen finally finished, he took a deep breath and looked deep into Sean's eyes. "While Sean may have antagonized Sasuke in this alternate state of mind, can you honestly tell me that Sasuke hasn't shown the tendency to be brash and eager to demonstrate such destructive tendencies in the past? His behavior during the mission to the Land of Waves, the way he treats people throughout Konoha, the occasional attack on someone that just happened to anger him even slightly…I could go on! This behavior of Sasuke's is by no means new or uncommon! So with this knowledge, I decree that Sean is not to blame for Sasuke's current state. This current state was by Sasuke's own doing."

Hiruzen sighed as the Civilian Council once again tried to argue, as did the three elders behind him, but he flared his killing intent to shut everyone up. "We placed Sasuke under Zabuza Momochi's tutelage in the hopes that he could teach the boy some vital life lessons. While it seemed to work, Sasuke has regressed after his encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Suffice it to say…Sasuke appears to be a lost cause. We will see how he behaves during the finals of the Chunin Exams and decide on his fate from there on. Is this understood?"

The Council members all nodded, though some had some deep scowls on their faces. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Danzo stepped forward and leered at Sean. "Hokage-sama, this does not settle things with the current issue however. Sean is a danger and needs to be dealt with. I suggest we…"

Jima grumbled and used her speed to zip over to where Danzo was standing. From there, she slammed her fist into his visible eye and sent him crashing into the far wall. "You suggest that we take that stick of yours and shove it up your ass where it belongs? Sure thing Danzo-prick!" She shouted angrily as she cracked her knuckles, preparing to fight. Glancing over at the Hokage, she frowned and stood down. "Fine, fine. You want to know what we're going to do with Sean-kun?! Here's what we're going to do!"

With this, Jima took a step nearer the Hokage and took the files from him that he pulled from his robes. Slapping them down on the table before her, she looked down at Sean for a brief moment before looking around. "We're not going to do shit to Sean-kun because he's a member of a damn near extinct clan! Sean's clan name is Uzumaki. We…are members of the Uzumaki clan. But…it's a distant relation. I don't know the names of Sean's parents, but I do know this: his parents are both Uzumaki's, and yet his hair color isn't the same vibrant red that they have. I'm half-Uzumaki, with my mother being the Uzumaki parent."

One of the civilian council members, a woman with a rather gaunt face and a frail appearance, decided to make a rather foolish mistake at this moment as she spoke up. "So you're saying you're related to that little demon brat? We should've known. This really helps us to make up our minds n-" The woman was never allowed to finish as Sean sent her head rolling along the floor, his wind sword buzzing loudly as he glared at the rest of the Civilian Council members. "Would anyone else care to speak about you-know-what so blatantly? And…Naruto-kun is no monster. He's a pure young man that deserves so much better than you scumbags always treating him the way you do."

At this point, the majority of the Civilian Council was trying to order the Hokage to kill Sean on the spot. When it became too much of a headache for him to bear, Hiruzen unleashed his killing intent once more, effectively making some of the Civilian Council outright faint while others soaked themselves from fear. "Enough! Sean was only doing as he was supposed to, in case you are too stupid to remember the laws! As I said before, Sean will not be punished!"

Jima sighed and shook her head as Sean joined both her and the Hokage. "Doesn't anyone remember the Uzumaki's? Masters of Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques), the gift of longevity, advanced healing, etc.?" The Shinobi side of the council nodded in understanding, as did the elders, but the Civilians shook their heads. "Idiots." Jima mumbled under her breath as she held up the files. "The Uzumaki's of Uzushiogakure were even aligned with this village. We were allies you damn fools! Our nation's symbol is even on your clothes, your flak jackets, your equipment…how the hell can you idiots not know about ANY of this?!"

The Hokage shook his head and simply frowned at her. "Just…let it go for now Jima-san. Things have been rather…complicated for a while." Jima sighed angrily and piled all the files back in front of the Hokage. "Fine, but you're passing this crap around for them to read when they get a damn chance." Chuckling softly at this, the Hokage was prepared to speak when his former teammates stepped forward. Groaning, Hiruzen prepared for the worst.

Homura was the first to speak up. "Seeing as this is quite the interesting revelation, Koharu and I have come up with a proposition of sorts. May we speak our minds, Hokage-sama?" When Hiruzen nodded slowly, emitting a tired sigh as he did, the elders grinned. "Thank you." Turning to Sean, Homura's grin became even bigger as he walked over. "We propose that the Uzumaki clan be instated as a clan of Konoha with Sean here as the clan head. He will not only be forced to attend meetings such as these as the current clan head of the Uzumaki's in Konoha, but there is something else as well."

Koharu smirked and nodded as she stepped forward. "We wish to enact the CRA on Sean-san. We all know the kind of power he holds, and if his abilities were to be passed on to his children as well…just imagine the possibilities. On top of that, as Uzumaki's, we could possess some of the most amazing Fuinjutsu users to ever exist, right here in Konoha!"

The Shinobi Council, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jima, and Sean all scowled at this and Sean was clenching another wind sword tightly in his hands. "I'll say this only once. NO! You will not order me into something so foolish. I am a Konoha shinobi and you may hold some power over me, but my first loyalty is to my friends and family. If I so chose it, I could leave Konoha and attempt to rebuild Uzushiogakure. Not even Hokage-sama here would be able to stop me as it would be my right as a member of the Uzumaki…clan. Damn it feels weird saying that. Are you sure about this Jima-chan?"

As Sean looked back at her, Jima giggled softly and nodded her head. "Just as I'm sure that Naruto is a true member of our clan as well, despite the fact he doesn't possess the red hair as most members of our clan do. We three are Uzumaki Seanie-kun, I promise you that."

Sean nodded slowly and sighed, shaking his head. As he went to speak again, Danzo stepped forward with a smirk. "I'm afraid you are in no true position to decline us Sean. If you choose to decline, we can simply force Jima or even your precious little Naruto to participate in the CRA. It's entirely your choice."

Irked at this, Sean prepared to charge at Danzo and end him right there and then, at least until he remembered something and began to laugh. "Actually, I'm afraid you can't. Jima's not even a part of this village yet, and therefore doesn't fall under its laws. She's simply a wanderer at the moment that has chosen to remain in Konoha for a period of time until she deems it's time to leave again. As for Naruto-kun…wellll…" Sean looked to the Hokage for a moment and nodded before turning back to Danzo. "Let's just say you can't exactly force us unless you want to experience some serious crap Danzo-teme."

Fuming, Danzo tried to figure out his next possible move, not wanting to push things any further on the subject until he had a valid reason for at least one of them to be forced into the CRA. Then his eye lit up and he looked around the room. "It has also come to my attention that we have a Hyoton user in our midst, a member of the Yuki clan that we thought to be deceased. Her name is Haku Yuki and she performed admirably during the Chunin Exams, only losing in the preliminaries to Naruto Uzumaki. Am I correct thus far?"

The Hokage, Jima, and Sean each exchanged a knowing look before the Hokage nodded in response. "Yes, Haku demonstrated that she has the Hyoton kekkei genkai and is quite proficient in it thanks to some intense training from a variety of skilled senseis. But that is beside the point. I assume you have some kind of plan for her Danzo?"

Danzo, thinking he had outwitted the Uzumaki's and the precious Hokage, continued with his idea. "Yes. I propose that we arrange for this Haku Yuki to marry Sasuke Uchiha. They would make a powerful couple, and their children could be even more powerful than their parents. It would be a sound strategic move, and…"

Hiruzen began to chuckle at this as he raised his hand. "I'm afraid not Danzo. Neko-san, allow them in." Yugao, smirking underneath her mask, opened the door and exited the room temporarily. When she returned, she was followed by Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Haku Yuki, Fu, and Sakura Haruno. As curious as most people were about the strange group of people, some on the Shinobi Council were smirking. "Everyone, allow me to introduce once again Naruto Uzumaki. The young woman to his right is the person in question at the moment, Haku Yuki. The pink-haired lass is Sakura Haruno. To her right is Fu, and the final one is Hiashi-san's beloved daughter and heiress to the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hyuga."

Hiashi looked to the Hokage curiously. "Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this? Would you please care to explain?" Hiruzen nodded and hoped dearly that Hiashi wouldn't prove to be a problem for him. "You see, Haku Yuki has already fallen for our dear Naruto. But, as some of you may no doubt already be aware of, Naruto Uzumaki is in a relationship with Hinata Hyuga. However, during his match today with Haku-san, he…displayed some rather intimate feelings towards Haku as displayed by when they held each other and kissed."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes and glared down at Naruto, releasing a small wave of killing intent at the boy for betraying his daughter like that. When he felt the Hokage's eyes on him however, the Hyuga head stopped and closed his eyes, trying to reign in his emotions. "Due to the recent developments here tonight, I propose that we put Naruto Uzumaki in the CRA and require him to take at least four wives in an attempt to restore not only his clan, but the Yuki clan as well. I do believe this solves both problems, would you all not agree?"

Inoichi frowned at this and looked to the Hokage. "As much as I agree with this plan of yours, may I first ask the five of them a few small questions?" When the Hokage nodded, the blonde-haired Yamanaka clan head looked down to the five Genin and smiled politely at them. "Naruto-san, Sakura-chan, Fu-san, Haku-san, and Hinata-san…how do the five of you feel about this particular arrangement? Do you need time to discuss this? Are you ready for such a thing? Do you…even feel like sharing this young man? Do you even love this young man?"

As Inoichi fired off question after question, Naruto felt his head spinning. Finally he held up his hand and smiled at the Clan heads. "Inoichi-sama, please do not worry. I…had my doubts at first, but after having time to talk with Hinata-chan and the others about my feelings for each of them…I'm actually okay with this idea. I care for each of them very dearly and I want nothing more than their happiness. Things were getting a bit hectic after some of the behavior that's been shown between me and some of the others in front of Hinata-chan and this seems like the best idea. And…if it helps Haku-chan and keeps Sean-sensei out of trouble, I'll gladly do this. Girls?"

Sakura was the first to step forward and speak out of the four girls. Bowing lowly to everybody, she put her best smile on her face and looked at everyone. "I know it may seem like a bit much, but I've spent so much time with these three women next to me that, if I truly have to share Naruto-kun with them…I would be okay with it. I trust them and I know that each of them loves Naruto-kun just as much as I do. I will gladly become one of Naruto-kun's wives if it means I will be allowed to remain close to him and love him as I truly want to from now onwards." Smiling at Naruto, Sakura reached over and squeezed his hand for a moment before the next girl stepped forward.

Fu stepped forward next and smiled as she smirked up at the Hokage. "Old man, you are a GENIUS for thinking this up! I didn't know what the heck was going on or what was planned for us, but I have to admit I LOVE you now! I might have to start calling you Jiji next. Hey…would that be okay with you if I started doing that too?" When the Hokage nodded with a smile, Fu smiled brightly and nodded right back. "Thank you…Jiji. I thank you very, very much for this opportunity. Naruto-kun is very, very dear to me. He rescued me from a village that tried to kill me. He showed me a home here in Konoha where people have been wonderful to me. Where people don't JUDGE me! I understand Naruto-kun's burden, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I truly, dearly love him and will always stand by him, no matter what happens. And…it kinda helps that these three standing here with me are some of my greatest friends here in Konoha. So if being with my honey means I have to share with them, I'm all for it. Hell, some of what we do in the future might be kinda kinky, right Naru-koi?" Giggling, she walked up and placed a soft kiss on Naruto's whiskered cheek as his face heated up in a terrible blush.

Hinata stepped forward next and motioned for Haku to stand beside her. "I love Naruto-kun dearly. I have for a very, very long time. He was the first to truly see me as a person. I…was amazed when Naruto-kun stood up for me, a complete stranger, when I was being bullied. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered and was beaten up, he protected me. And…all he seemed to care about was whether or not I was okay. It's because of Naruto-kun that I am the person I am today. I stand here strong and without my stutter…all because of him. Today…I was so upset with him because of his actions regarding Haku-san earlier…but after Hokage-sama called us all together and I had time to talk with these three…it all just seemed to fit. I'll admit that I'm not exactly happy about having to share my beloved, but I also understand how he thinks and how he feels. I also know that these three truly do love him and would never hurt him. So…if I have to share Naruto-koi, then so be it. We'll be happy together as one big family and nothing will stand in our way! I, Hinata Hyuga, will stand by my beloved and support him as his wife!"

Before Haku could speak, Hiashi stood up and slammed his hands down on the table, palms flat. "If you go through with this Hinata, then you shall not return home! No daughter of mine shall exhibit such behavior! You're essentially agreeing to act the part of a whore! If you do go through with this, do not return home tonight Hinata. I will have your servants pack your things and have them delivered to you, but from here on you're banished from the Hyuga clan! I shall disown you here and now!"

Sean looked absolutely livid at this and wanted nothing more than to tear Hiashi Hyuga a new hole, but Hinata's next words shocked him to the point he completely froze. "Fine then Tou-san. Or am I supposed to call you Hiashi-san now? I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? You have never truly treated me with any respect, nor have you actually treated me as a father should treat his daughter. So my decision is quite easy to make Hiashi-san. If you no longer wish for me to be considered your daughter, then so be it. I will send for my things to be delivered to Naruto-koi's home. I will move in with him and live together with him as his fiancé."

As Hiashi went to speak again, Hiruzen shook his head at him. "I know what you are about to suggest Hiashi-san, and I forbid it. You will not place the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu (Hyūga Main Family's Cursed Seal Technique) on Hinata-san. It is simply your feeble attempt to spite her for disobeying you and I will not allow it. So take your seat and shut up Hiashi-san! Now, please speak Haku-san. You appeared as if you were about to speak before you were interrupted.

Haku nodded and placed a comforting hand upon Hinata's shoulder before speaking up. "I…I am the adopted daughter of Zabuza Momochi. He took me in and raised me after my kaa-san was murdered by my tou-san when I was but a young girl. During Naruto-koi's mission to the Land of Waves, we met each other and developed a connection, or bond if you prefer. He saved my life while Sean saved Zabuza-tou-san's life. Grateful as we were, we returned here to Konoha with my beloved Naruto-koi to become part of your great village. Even back then I felt an attraction to Naruto-koi, and it only progressed with the more time I spent with him here in Konoha. There is honestly no one I would rather be with than Naruto-koi, and should you try to force me into marrying someone else rather than agreeing to this arrangement as I am agreeing to it right now…I will not hesitate to end my life and you will not have my bloodline nor my future children."

Turning her gaze to Naruto, she hugged him close to her and kissed him passionately on his lips, refusing to let even an ounce of her feelings go unfelt by the one she loved. Upon parting, she clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder as she could feel tears welling in her eyes. "Please do not try to tear me apart from the one I love Council members. I beg of you. Think on it if you must, but it should be an easy choice. Not only do you get future children to join the shinobi ranks if they so choose that may have my bloodline, but the Uzumaki clan will be rebuilt here in Konoha as well. What do you have to lose from accepting this proposition?!"

As Naruto wrapped his arms around her and held the Ice Mistress close, he glanced around at the others and then up at Sean with a look that promised that he would be seeing him later. After all, they needed to talk about this and soon! Finally, after a time, his eyes rested on Danzo as he waited to hear if everyone would accept or not.

"I think it's a fair proposition. I agree to this." Inoichi stated as he sat back in his chair and smiled happily for the five Genin. Shibi nodded. "It is a sound strategy and the five genuinely care for one another. You have my approval." Soon everyone on the Shinobi Council agreed to this, along with Sean Uzumaki and Jima Uzumaki. Danzo and the other elders agreed after taking a brief period of time to discuss it amongst themselves. That just left the members of the Civilian Council.

After waiting a good while, the Civilian Council looked to a woman that appeared to be in her mid-to-late fifties to speak for them and state what they had decided as a group. Coughing slightly, she brought a folded napkin out of her inner shirt pocket and dabbed at her mouth before slipping it away once more. "Hokage-sama. After taking some time to deliberate over everything that has been presented to us…we have decided to agree to the proposition. But…"

The Sandaime Hokage sighed inwardly and felt like smashing his head into the table before him. There just always has to be some kind of condition with these people doesn't there?! Even Danzo's more reasonable than the Civilian Council and that's truly saying something! The poor, old man thought to himself as he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes from the frustration he now felt.

The same woman looked to Sean and bowed her head. "First…let us offer our apologies to you Sean-sama. We…have been acting most harshly towards you and your, erm…relative. Second, we just have one condition. We won't ask you to apologize to Sasuke-kun as we know you shouldn't truly have to. But as one of the last Uzumaki's, would you please reconsider the CRA? Naruto may be an Uzumaki, but we do not know his heritage. His parents could be anybody and his abilities…well let's just forget about that. Naruto's in the finals and he's turning out to be a powerful young shinobi, but if you are to be clan head of the Uzumaki's, you'll need a wife, or perhaps even a few wives seeing as your clan is still endangered, even with the three of you being here and your parents and aunt being out there lost in the world somewhere. So…will you please consider it?" The woman asked as politely as she could, trying her best not to insult Naruto in front of the new Uzumaki representative.

Sean sighed and ruffled his hair a bit before looking to Jima. Seeing her defeated look and receiving a depressed shrug from her, Sean sighed again, this time angrily and looked to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama…if I do accept this…how many wives would I have to take? I'm not like Naruto-kun, I don't really know enough about girls or behavioral patterns or any of that jazz to know what the hell I'm doing when it comes to romance! And since I'm on this topic…" The Wind God turned to stare at the elders and smirked. "No, I will not just let you three or anyone else for that matter set me up with some random women you think I'd go well with. I will find love on my own!"

Grumbling again, Sean looked back to the Hokage and held out his hands, palms up as he spoke. "Please Hokage-sama…just tell me the number of wives I'm supposed to have and when I'm supposed to have one by as Clan Head of the Uzumaki's…okay?"

The Hokage smiled softly as Sean and shook his head. "I apologize for all of this Sean-kun. I will set the number at three wives, though I'm sure some here would prefer to see you married to more than just that. But, seeing as how both you and Naruto-kun will be entering the CRA, there is no need for you to marry more than a few women. As for when you should have your first wife…does anyone have any suggestions?" Sean looked mortified at this. Oh God, don't leave it up to them Hokage-sama! He thought frantically.

Soon, the same civilian woman rose from her seat and answered as politely as possible. "Sean-sama, Hokage-sama…perhaps a good time limit for him to have his first wife by would be in one year's time? That gives him plenty of time to meet a good woman, see how he truly feels for her, and even woo her enough to want to marry him if he can. The engagement may not last long and he may not be able to have a truly fanciful wedding, but what truly matters is that in the end he be happy with this woman. Am I not correct?"

The Hokage nodded and smiled. "That actually sounds like a good suggestion Hinako-san. Thank you. Sean, you are to find yourself a woman and wed her before the year given to you have passed you by. So do not panic, do not try to rush yourself, and take your time. Find the right woman for you and be happy. Date, spend time together, talk, do whatever you need to do. I'm sure you'll be just fine. Now, if that is all, I call this meeting finished. Thank you all for your time and have a most pleasant night. Farewell."

As soon as everyone had left the room, Sean stood there with Jima, Naruto, and his fiancés. Slumping down in a chair, the Wind God put a hand to his face and groaned. "Damn. Can't say I saw this coming. First I find out I'm an Uzumaki like Naruto…then I'm forced into the CRA too? What the hell?!" Jima frowned at this and sat down beside him in a chair of her own, gently squeezing his arm.

Naruto stepped forward and, after hesitating for just a few moments, threw his arms around his best friend and let a few tears flow. "You're…you're family. This whole time I never knew…you never knew…we're family Sean! The most powerful guy I know besides Jiji-sama is a member of my clan…the Uzumaki clan! I…I can't believe it!" As Naruto spoke, his tears began to flow down his face in streams. He was happy, and yet sad at the same time because he truly felt for his itoko (cousin).

Naruto's fiancés and Jima joined in the hug and they all stayed like that for a while before they began to talk about everything they had learned, and Jima began to teach them about what she knew about the Uzumaki Clan and Uzushiogakure and their destruction. When it was all finally over, they were all starving and realized it was 11:00 PM so they decided to go out and enjoy a late dinner before they all went to the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound to get some rest.

The Next Day – 8:00 AM

Naruto and Sean were currently seated on the couch together; the two of them sipping some mint green tea as they tried conversed with one another. "So, how does it feel to be the Uzumaki clan head Sean-sensei?"

Sean chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'm still trying to process the information that I'm an Uzumaki period Naruto-kun. We're…family. It's all just too damn weird to me. I have to admit that it does feel kind of nice, but at the same time…" Sighing, the Wind God shook his head and leaned back as he brought his teacup to his mouth. After taking another sip, Sean placed the teacup back upon the coffee table and shook his head. "I am happy Naruto-kun, but…this CRA thing? And duties as a clan head? On top of that, I'm still an assistant Jonin sensei. I really don't know what to think about any of this. And then there's the fact that today I'm going to go meet up with Temari-san so we can talk about whatever it is that's been on her mind. There's so much to think about, so much to do…I honestly just don't know where to start."

Naruto watched as his relative shook his head and smirked a bit. "Well, I know of one person that's definitely into you: Anko-sensei. You could always try asking her out on a date and seeing how that goes. Other than that, I don't really know what else to suggest to you Sean-sensei. I don't know what it takes to be a clan head, nor do I know what Temari wants, so I wouldn't know what to suggest for that situation. But I do know one thing for sure." As Sean turned to him, the blonde Uzumaki grinned and pulled his best friend/relative into a tight hug. "We're family and nothing's going to change that. I'll be here to support you whenever you need me. So will Jima-obasan. And, as much as I'd like to talk with you about everything, I can wait. You've got a lot of stuff to take care of and we can talk later. Now go ahead and go get dressed for your 'date' Sean-sensei."

Sean sighed and thwacked Naruto in the back of the head with the palm of his hand. "Manuke (Dumbass)! Don't start that crap with me again Naruto. You know damn well it's not a date. Besides, she's a foreign ninja and I have no idea what the hell she really wants. On top of that, I still have to train you for the finals of the Chunin Exams. Despite the injury Sasuke received, the doctors will figure something out and he won't stay in the hospital the entire month. He's going to be training incredibly hard just for the chance to defeat you. I have to make sure you're ready for that little teme. Gah! There's just so damn much to do. Do you really have to tease me about that blonde Genin girl?"

Naruto laughed hard and nodded his head. "Yep! Now that I know we're family, you can expect a lot more torture Sean-sensei! But I don't think I'm the one you really have to worry about. Just be careful as you go about the day today Sean-sensei. If you need me for anything, I'm going to be training here at the Uzumaki-Namikaze estate's training grounds. I have a few techniques I've been trying to perfect that I think might come in really handy during the finals."

Sean sighed softly and finished off the rest of his tea before he spoke up again. "You think I have to watch out for Anko-chan and Ino-chan…don't you Naruto-kun?" When the blonde simply smirked at him, the blue-haired male shook his head and laughed lightly. "Yeah, I can see why you'd think that. I'll be careful, but I really don't think they're about to do anything. Personally…I'm hoping to speak with Temari about her brother. Gaara's taken an unnatural interest in you and it has me concerned. I really hope Jiraiya-sama shows up soon." Shaking his head, Sean rose from the couch and patted Naruto on the head. "I'd love to stay and talk, but I need to go get ready. Catch ya later Naruto."

With that said, Naruto watched as his relative walked off. As soon as Sean was out of sight, the blonde shinobi turned back to his tea and took another sip. "So, how long have you been standing there Jima-obasan? Are you going to follow him today as well?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious about what his other relative would be doing today.

Jima smirked and stepped forward out of her room. "I've been here the entire time. In answer to your other question…I do plan to keep an eye on Sean-kun throughout the day, but I also need to start training Hinata-chan for the finals. After Sean finishes up with Temari, I plan to take him to visit the Hokage again. We need to ask about Jiraiya-sama, and it would be a good idea to talk about clan duties as well. Among other things of course." With a shrug of her shoulders, Jima sat down beside Naruto and smirked. "Sooo, bet you didn't expect to find out you and I were family, didja Gaki?"

Naruto laughed a bit before he finished off his tea. "No, I honestly didn't expect that. But after last night's Council meeting I can understand why you kept quiet about it and didn't want to return here. Some of those people…ugh! It's a good thing you aren't a kunoichi of Konoha or they really would have been able to force you into being nothing more than a baby maker. The temes really will do anything to make our lives hell, won't they Jima-obasan?"

Jima sighed and nodded her head. "True. That's very true Naruto-kun. Buuut, that's why Hokage-sama worked everything out with us beforehand. We had to be ready for every circumstance. Danzo absolutely cannot be trusted. If he ever approaches you trying to coerce you into anything…refuse and get away from him. Understand Naru-kun?" Seeing Naruto nod, the green-eyed woman smiled softly at him and patted his head. "Good. I just don't trust him. I honestly believe that Danzo ties into Sean's past somehow. I feel like Danzo may have worked with whomever it is that's been targeting Sean. So…please, just be careful Naru-kun." Placing a kiss atop his head, Jima rose and left without another word. Naruto sat there and simply sighed. So much is going on right now. Shikamaru, I'm starting to understand why you say everything is just so damn troublesome.

One Hour Later – Sean & Temari

Sean had approached the hotel Temari and her team had been staying in and retrieved her about ten minutes earlier. Currently they were seated in a restaurant, the both of them looking over their menus after ordering their drinks. Upon finding what he wanted to eat, the Wind God placed his menu back down upon the table and looked Temari over carefully. For some reason she was dressed a bit 'fancy' for this outing and he began to worry that she saw this as something a little more than what it was. Grumbling, the young man decided to speak up and try to get the ball rolling.

"Temari-san." Sean waited until she was done looking over the menu and watched as she placed it down on the table. The blonde woman placed her hands in her lap and smiled sweetly at him. Though, upon seeing the stern look on his face, the young woman grew a little nervous. "D-Did I do something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that Seanie?"

Sean sighed and shook his head. Before he could speak, their waitress returned and the both of them placed their orders. As soon as the woman left, he turned his gaze back to Temari and smiled softly. "Sorry for worrying you, but I just want to make sure of something. What do you view this current situation as? You're dressed somewhat…'fancy'."

Temari smiled and blushed a bit as she bowed her head. "Well, I wanted to talk with you about a few things. And…I wanted to see if we kind of…'connected' throughout the day." At this, Sean sighed quietly and nodded his head slowly as he closed his eyes. "I see. So…you're hoping to be able to consider this a date. Am I right?"

Temari nodded slowly at this, not quite sure what to say. The man before her sounded concerned and even slightly upset. Watching him, she wondered what she should say before he spoke again. "Temari-san…it might have been something worth considering if you weren't a foreign ninja, still just in your teenage years, and if I knew I could trust you. However, as it stands…I have some concerns I would like to address. So, before you get your hopes up or get upset…please just hear me out?"

Temari nodded slowly and Sean smiled softly at her as he reached over and gently patted her hand. "Sorry to demolish your hopes like that, but I want you to understand. First, can you tell me why you were so interested in learning about Naruto-kun? You see, he's…a very close friend to me. He isn't just a student and I want to make sure that you and your siblings aren't targeting him for some reason. Can you answer me this?"

Temari smiled and closed her eyes. "If you're worried about Naruto-san, please don't be. Kankuro and I have nothing against him and we mean him no harm. Naruto stood up for us in the Forest of Death during the second part of the Exams. In truth, I was simply curious about him. Naruto stood up to Kankuro, and has stood up to Gaara twice now, even choosing to strike him once. I've never met anyone like him. If he wasn't taken already, I might actually be a little smitten with him." She admitted honestly, giggling softly afterwards. "And I'm interested in you as well for different reasons. Call it a schoolgirl's crush if you will. We've all heard about your exploits Seanie. Believe me, I'm not here to try and woo you. I just wanted to talk with you and get to know you as a person. Thouuugh…I had other plans as well."

Meanwhile, in another part of the relationship a young blonde woman wearing a purple shirt and purple shorts was clenching her menu tightly as she listened in on the conversation taking place between Sean and Temari. Glancing to the woman across from her who was dressed in actual Jonin attire for a change that consisted of a flak jacket, black shirt, and a long beige skirt that stretched past her knees, Ino frowned at what she saw. "Anko-sensei, don't you think you're ordering a bit much? We're not here to pig out, we're here to spy!" She whispered harshly.

Anko finished placing her order and looked across at Ino who then proceeded to place her order. "Hey, I'm hungry. You dragged me out of my home before I could even eat a healthy breakfast. As for the conversation, as much as I hate it, I think we should continue listening and see what happens from here. Have a little more faith in Seanie-kun alright?" Ino sighed and nodded her head before handing off her menu to the waiter. As she turned her attention back to Sean and Temari's conversation, she could have sworn she saw Anko cast a smirk her way.

Temari giggled softly at the look on Sean's face and shook her head. "No, no, not plans such as those. Don't get the wrong idea. There are things I needed to talk with you about. I wasn't sure who I could trust with my information, but I really felt you or Naruto-san would be the ones to talk to about it."

Sean frowned at this and nodded his head. "Does this have to do with your brother? Gaara's unstable and I'm concerned. You may be the Kazekage's children…yes, I know, don't give me that look. Anyways, as I was saying, you may be his children, but even that doesn't truly warrant sending someone as truly unstable as Gaara into situations such as these where there's a high probability he would lose control. So I want you to tell me exactly what the hell's going on Temari-san. If your brother's planning something or if something else is going on, I want you to be able to confide in me. If that means I have to take you with me to the Hokage's Office so the three of us can speak in privacy without anyone attempting to eavesdrop on us…" At this, Sean cast a very quick glance Ino and Anko's way so they would know that he knew they were there. "I'll take us there. But first…it would be a good idea for the two of us to eat our breakfast. Wouldn't you agree?"

As Sean smirked at her, Temari found herself fidgeting about in her seat, growing increasingly more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Eventually she just bowed her head and remained silent as the food was delivered to their table. After thanking the waitress, she looked into Sean's eyes and frowned. "That…might actually be for the best Seanie. I don't want you or Naruto-san to be hurt…" After saying this, Temari began to eat politely while Sean eyed her curiously for a moment before digging into his own meal. I'm sorry Baki-sensei, Gaara, Kankuro, but I just don't agree with this plan! Even if it means going against Tou-san's wishes, I have to let them know.